Guard of the Tombs
by Joss And The Arc
Summary: From the moment Aro heard of Mercy Porter's ability, he wanted to collect her. But collecting a free spirit will take a lot more than just coercion, someone will have to convince her to stay. AlecOC, rated for language and smut.
1. Chapter 1

**June 21st, 2013**

**New Haven, Connecticut.**

Mercy Porter stood inside the doorway to the ballet studio she'd once taught in. Same dull wooden floors, same dirty mirrors and ballet bars. The building was clearly abandoned, nobody had taken care of the old studio in decades. Sighing, she ran her hands down the bars; dust coated her fingers.

She hadn't danced professionally in ages, it was mostly for fun these days. Mercy was beginning to feel too old for that kind of thing, aging mentally while her body stayed the same.

Her reflection in the dirty mirror caught her eye, and she turned to look at herself. To any passerbyer, she would've been gorgeous. Flawless ivory skin, with enough color in her cheeks to suggest that she was human. Long brown hair curled all the way down to her hips. She was on the petite side, but her hips protruded a little too much to suggest she was a child; in fact, her rear was so defined that it made even the loosest of dresses look wildly inappropriate. For that exact reason, she typically stuck to pants. Finally, she locked eyes with her reflection; dark blue eyes stared back. But around her pupils were rings of black. Colored contacts.

Mercy shuddered. When she was human, she was a nobody. She hadn't even been good-looking, just your every day, run-of-the-mill, Plain Jane.

Sliding off her boots, she propped the heel of one foot up onto the bar and began to stretch her leg out. She didn't have to stretch anymore, one of the pro's of being frozen in time while she was in her prime; it was just habit. There was no burn, no pull of the muscle; it flexed with ease.

The _click_ of the front door of the studio caught her ears as it closed. A human wouldn't have heard the sound. Mercy's head whipped around in time to see a man in a black cloak standing in the doorway.

Inhaling deeply, she swore under her breath. Whomever it was, wasn't human. "What do you want?" she growled, glaring at the intruder.

Gloved hands reached up and removed the hood of the cloak. It was a man, probably around twenty-five, with pale skin just like hers. Mercy smiled; the man hadn't even bothered to hide his blood-red eyes.

A smirk graced the man's face. "Aro is waiting for you." His voice was a deep baritone, quite shocking for such a small man.

"I'm afraid I don't know who 'Aro' is," Mercy said, returning to her stretching. She kept an eye on the man in the mirror.

He inched closer, his footsteps completely silent. "My name is Demetri," he said, slowly removing the gloves. "I work for the Volturi."

Mercy's ears perked up. There was a word she recognized, and with it, recognition of 'Aro'. "Ah," she said, switching legs. "You are here to recruit me."

"You're a bright one, aren't you?" The man asked, sarcastically. "From the moment Aro heard of your ability, we've been searching for you. You're quite the hard one to track."

Considering this was the one they'd sent to retrieve her, Mercy assumed Demetri was a tracker. "Yes, it's a talent of mine," she said, flashing him a bright white smile.

"I take it you will not come willingly, then?" Demetri asked, coolly leaning up against the ballet bar.

She stopped stretching. "Well," she breathed thoughtfully. "You'll either take me with you, or I'll be killed. So I don't have much of a choice, now, do I?"

"You really are a smart one," Demetri said with a smile. "May I?" he offered her his arm.

Rolling her eyes, Mercy slipped on her boots and shoved past him. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>It was nearly a ten hour flight from the US to Florence, and then another hour to drive to Volterra, and Demetri was silent the entire time. Though he'd kept a firm grip on Mercy's upper arm through the airport and the walk through Volterra, it was the only contact they'd had, other than in the studio.<p>

"Would you mind telling me where we're going?" Mercy asked rudely as they made their way through the lamp-lit city. She attempted to rip her arm out of his grasp, but his hand was clenched. "You're going to rip my arm off."

"We're going to speak with Aro," he said simply, ignoring her vague request to let go of her.

Finally, they reached the center of the city, which was surprisingly crowded with tourists, considering how dark it was.

"Please line up single file!" An angelic voice ahead of them caught Mercy's ears. A woman in a slinky red dress was ushering people into a building at the center of the square.

"Excuse me, Heidi," Demetri said, pushing Mercy ahead of himself and the tour group into the building.

Heidi smiled in appreciation. "That was fast," she commented. "Aro will be pleased."

Mercy's brow furrowed, but she remained quiet as Demetri led her down a confusing array of corridors. Far behind them, she heard Heidi beginning a 'tour' of the Volturi that was certain to lead to the death of all the tourists. She'd seen vampires use the 'tour guide' technique before.

They finally stopped in front of two large wooden doors, and Demetri turned to face her. "Listen to me," he said sternly, looking her in the eyes. "It's obvious you're young and you've never been here before, so there are a few rules. Do not speak until you are spoken to. Do not back-talk. Do not engage in any sort of physical contact unless you are approached. And do not use your ability unless asked." He reached forward and straightened out Mercy's shirt, which had begun to ride up her torso. "Do you understand?"

"You have a lot of rules," she said, glaring up at him.

Demetri's face softened into a smirk. "They're for your protection. Now be quiet." With that he reached over and pushed open the doors.

It looked like a throne room; there was an elevated platform with three chairs on it, each occupied by a different vampire. They were all obviously older than everyone else in the room, and had almost a royal air to them. Apart from the three, there were several vampires lining the walls. They'd been in the middle of some sort of discussion when Demetri and Mercy entered, and the room fell silent.

Silent, that is, until the vampire in the middle of the three stood up. "Demetri," he said with a genuine smile. "You've returned at last. And this must be Miss Porter." His gaze turned to Mercy as he looked her over. "You're quite the beauty."

She didn't like the way he was looking at her, like she was some sort of meal. But she bit her tongue. "Thank you," she whispered. Though she'd faced many vampires before, this one was easily the most intimidating. This was clearly Aro.

"I've heard a great deal about you," Aro continued. "Or, more precisely, your special ability. May I?" He reached his hand out towards her.

Mercy looked uncertainly back at Demetri, who whispered, "Aro has the ability to read your thoughts and memories through physical contact."

It was obvious this wasn't a request. She reached out and took Aro's hand, which he covered with his own. His face changed several times within the course of the thirty seconds he held her. From confusion, to awe, then finally, wonder. "How incredible," he said lightly, dropping her hand. "You are all that I've heard of and more."

"Mind filling us in, Aro?" a harsh voice interrupted from behind him. One of the other vampires on the platform, a thin man with a curtain of blonde hair, had spoken up with a sneer. He looked more than bored with the interraction.

Without looking away from her face, Aro responded. "Our darling Mercy, here, is able to control the abilities of another."

"What kind of control?" There was no end to the rudeness of the blonde man, was there?

"That is completely up to her," Aro said, the same smile sliding it's way back onto his face. "From what I saw just now, she can either amplify it tenfold, or take it away completely. She can neutralize the ability of anyone she chooses."

"Prove it." The blonde man - later Mercy would learn he was called Caius - was incredibly skeptical for a vampire.

"Would you mind?" At least Aro was a gentleman.

Mercy shook her head. "Not at all. Do you have someone here with a particularly recognizable ability?" She looked around the room, trying to spot someone.

"Jane." Aro's voice had gone from a question to a command.

Mercy was shocked as a girl, no older than seventeen, strutted forward and faced off across from her. "Jane, here," Aro continued. "Can attack the central nervous system. She causes incredible pain, enough to bring a vampire to the floor, or even kill a human."

The blonde smiled, but surprisingly, so did Mercy. "Perfect," she said. "I need someone for her to focus on, so that it's clear when I take control."

Aro looked around for a volunteer, but it seemed everyone else in the room was now looking at the floor. "Oh my," he said, sounding distraught. "It seems I'll have to pick someone. Felix, would you please join us?"

The man deemed 'Felix' looked less than happy as he moved across from Jane.

Aro gestured to the three. "Please, Jane, whenever you're ready."

A very satisfied smirk crossed Jane's face as her eyes focused on the man across from her. "This might hurt a little," she said with a smile. Felix's face began to scrunch up into a glare, but before he had the chance to respond, he was down on the ground, screaming.

"Not many can take Jane's pain in silence," Aro said loudly over the screams. "Miss Porter, if you please."

Mercy's eyes settled on Jane, and it didn't take much focus for her to stop Jane's ability. Felix's screams stopped instantly and he began to shakily make his way to his feet. Meanwhile, Jane's face was twisting, her brow furrowing in confusion as she attempted to make Felix feel something. _Anything_.

"Incredible!" Aro said with a laugh, clapping his hands together. "And the other end of your ability?"

Shifting her thoughts around, Mercy focused again on Jane, who was still silently attempting to use her ability. Suddenly, Felix was back on the ground. But instead of just screaming, his body was now contorting and he writhed on the ground, his screams twice as loud as before.

Aro's laughing grew louder. "Thank you both!"

Mercy and Jane stopped at the same time, both staring at the laughing man. "Are you alright?" Mercy asked, helping a shaking Felix back to his feet.

He glared at her and ripped his arm out of her grasp. "I know it was only your job, but _Jesus_, did you have to make it hurt so much?"

Ignoring him, Mercy turned back to Aro, all thoughts of the instructions Demetri had given her now gone. "It's much more powerful than just one person at a time," she piped up, capturing Aro's attention once more. "I can stop an entire area of abilities at the same time."

"Amazing," Aro said, fascinated. "I do believe, then, that we have a proposition for you." He turned to look behind him at Caius and Marcus, both of whom nodded. "We would like you to come work for us."

"No." Mercy shook her head, not even thinking it over. "I have no desire to be tied down."

"Tied down?" Aro repeated in disbelief. "I don't think you understand. Here you would be part of a clan who understands and accepts you. No more of these," he gestured disgustedly to her eyes, indicating her colored contacts. "No more having to scavange for dinner, or wonder where your next home will be. Or spending days under bridges," he added with a knowing look.

Mercy stared at him, her mouth slightly opened in horror. They must've been following her for weeks!

"I would like you to be a part of our private guard," Aro continued. "You would be here, by my side, to make sure that nobody would be a threat to us."

"You want to use my ability to keep you safe," she concluded, shaking her head. "My answer is still no."

"At least consider it," Aro said shortly. "Stay with us for a few weeks and see how you like living here, then make your decision."

Mercy's jaw clenched. It wouldn't kill her to have at least a few hot meals here before she headed back out on her own. "Days. I'll stay a few days."

"Wonderful!" Aro said loudly, clapping his hands. "Now, if you wouldn't mind stepping to the side of the room, dinner is nearly here."

He was right. When the room's chatter died down, she could hear the voice of the woman from before - Heidi - nearing with the tour group. Mercy stepped to the side of the room, between Demetri and a boy she didn't recognize.

"This is our main room, what was once the throne room, said to house Saint Marcus." Heidi led the group into the room, where they all gathered in the center, unaware that these were their final moments.

"Welcome!" Aro said, delightedly clapping his hands for the billionth time today. "Welcome to the heart of Volterra."

There was clear uneasyness among the group, surrounded by the gorgeous strangers in cloaks. Soon enough, the vampires were bearing down upon the unsuspecting group, and their screams filled the air.

Mercy stood back, uncertain as to whether she was welcome to join. But a wave from Demetri told her that it was her dinner too. So she set her sights on a man standing in the middle of the group, his eyes wide with fear. It took her a moment to detatch; she couldn't think of her dinner as people anymore.

She reached into the group and took the man by the hand, pulling him out of the crowd of half-dry people. His alarm was clear on his face when he looked at her. She held her finger up to her lips, shushing him. "It's going to be alright," she soothed. "I'm not going to hurt you."

There was a moment of relief that crossed his face, and it was the only solace she took in knowing she was going to kill him. And kill him she did.

* * *

><p><strong>That was fun. I've never written for Twilight before, though it's one of my favorite book series! Please review if you like it, reviews keep me entertained with my own story! Thank you! xx<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

"How old are you?"

Jane had appeared without warning in the doorway of Mercy's assigned room, only an hour after being left alone.

Mercy, who had been unpacking the few things she carried with her in her backpack, turned around and leaned against the small vanity in the room. "I'm seventeen," she replied, attempting to keep her cool. She'd seen what Jane could do, but also knew she could stop it if she had to. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen," Jane replied shortly. "But that isn't what I meant. When were you born?"

Every vampire she'd ever run across assumed Mercy was a newborn, probably because she stayed so modernized, even though most of the vampires that were centuries old had stayed the same throughout the year. "Around the late thirteen-hundreds, I forget exactly when," she said with a shrug.

Though Jane's facial expression stayed the same, her eyebrows flew up. "You're older than I thought you would be. Not quite as old as my brother and I, but old."

Mercy raised one eyebrow. "Thanks," she said sarcastically. "Is that all you came here for? To mock me for my age?"

She was silent for a moment, but Jane eventually responded. "No." She leaned against the door frame. "Aro, Marcus, and Caius took my brother and I in when we had nowhere to go. They saved our lives. Being offered a position in the Guard is an honor."

"You're saying I should accept the position," Mercy said in disbelief.

"You have something better to be doing?" Jane asked. When the brunette didn't respond, she turned and wandered out of the room, tossing a casual, "Didn't think so." over her shoulder.

Mercy sighed and turned back to the mirror in the vanity, and began brushing the tangles out of her impossibly long hair.

"Jane is right," A voice sounded from behind her.

"Man," Mercy said sarcastically. "I'm just getting all sorts of visitors today, aren't I?" She threw her hands up dramatically and turned around, and then froze. It certainly wasn't Demetri like she thought.

She recognized the boy, it was the one she'd stood next to while the tour group was being led in. He was somewhere around her age, with the same pale skin and burgundy eyes that everyone here had. His face was hard and cold, reminding her a little too much of Jane's. This must be Alec, her twin brother.

"You ability is impressive, but not quite enough to impress everyone," he said coldly. "While Aro might favor you now, you could never handle a position in the Guard."

He was staring her down from across the room, and she didn't like it one bit. Mercy marched across the room until she was less than a foot away from him, and she leaned in so close their faces were almost touching. "If you have something you'd like to say to me, then spit it out," she spat. "Otherwise, get out of my room." She was growling at this point.

Alec glared down at her. "We did our research on you before picking you up, you know," he hissed. "We know all about you. So why don't you do what you do best and run away?"

Mercy's jaw clenched and he took that as a victory, turning on his heel and heading down the hall, a satisfied smirk on his face.

"Is everyone here such an ass?" She asked, more to herself than anything else. "Thank God I still have you," she murmured, reaching into her backpack, and pulling out a small mp3 player. Mercy stuck in her headphones and laid back on the bed, listening to Debussy.

Listening to Claire De Lune on repeat was just like sleeping for a vampire. But all immortals know that the peace never lasts, and you have to open your eyes and pretend you've gotten enough rest. It's mentally exhausting. For Mercy, the end of the peace came with the death of the battery. She searched the entire room, looking for an outlet to plug it back in. And when she couldn't find one there, she went searching the halls.

"What the _hell _are you doing?" Demetri asked when she nearly ran into him.

Mercy looked up, surprised. "Oh! I'm looking for an electric outlet so I can plug this in." She held up her mp3 player.

Demetri snatched it out of her hands. "What is this?"

"Really?" She asked, incredulously. "You've never seen a mp3 player before?"

When he shook his head, she said, "Well, if you can help me find an outlet, I'll show you what it does."

"There are no outlets here," he said, shaking his head yet again. "We have no use for electricity other than the lights in the hallways."

Mercy sighed, exasperated. "Are you kidding me?"

"Actually, I was just coming to get you." Demetri said, placing his hand on the small of her back to guide her down the hallway.

"Why?"

"Aro says that we will be having visitors, he wants you by his side when they get here." When they passed her room, he nearly shoved her in. "He says that you are to wear the robe that's in your closet, even if you're not officially part of the Guard."

Mercy sighed, but reached into the closet to grab the floor-length black robe. "What are you doing?" she asked, noticing that Demetri had turned his back to her and was now staring at the wall.

"It isn't polite to watch while a lady is changing," he said simply.

"Oh, man," she said, laughing a little. "You really have been cut off from the rest of the world, haven't you?" Mercy stripped off her shirt and pants and pulled on the black pants and shirt, and then over that, the robe. "How do I look?"

Demetri turned around and smirked. "Like a Guard, especially without those damned contacts."

She instinctively rubbed her eyes. "Yeah, they hurt my eyes. Besides, I'm not around any humans, so I don't need to wear them."

He led Mercy back down the hall to the throne room, where it seemed the rest of the Volturi was waiting for them.

"Mercy!" Aro said excitedly. "You look stunning!"

"Thanks," Mercy blushed, looking at her feet. "Where do you want me?"

"Come," he said, ushering her up the little stairs next to his chair. "I'd like you on the stairs. You can sit if you'd like."

She did, resting her feet on the floor. "What exactly do you want me to do?"

"Heidi will be bringing them in," Caius interrupted. "It's a clan of them, seven or eight. Maybe even nine. We would like you to take out all of their abilities."

"What kind of abilities do they have?" Mercy asked curiously.

"Telepathy, precognition, a shield, pathokinesis, and tactile thought projection," Aro rattled off effortlessly. "And they'll probably have a child of the moon with them."

Mercy's face scrunched up. "Ew, a werewolf? Why?"

"Something to do with an imprint," Aro said, waving his hands. "Who cares?"

Looking around at this point, Mercy could almost name off all the vampires. There were the main three, Aro, Marcus, and Caius. On either side of them were Alec and Jane, and Felix and Demetri were standing near the doors. Afton was already using his gift at this point, and was walking, invisible, somewhere in the room; and his mate, Chelsea, was sulking in the hallway just outside the doors.

A noise sounded somewhere several stories above them, and Mercy heard Aro whisper, "They're here." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Alec tense up as he inhaled deeply through his nose. Sure enough, when she inhaled herself, she caught a whiff of what could only be described as _wet dog_.

The clan was led into the throne room by Heidi, and it reminded Mercy much too much of the tourist group they'd killed only hours earlier. There were ten of them, five men and five women. All were clearly vampires, apart from the one that was producing the wet dog smell. But what set them apart from the vampires in the Volturi was their eyes; they were a bright, golden color.

"Ah, Bel-la," Aro said, enunciating her name a little too much. "How have you been? And this must be your little one, she's grown so much!" He reached for one of the women, who took a step back. The werewolf stepped in front of her.

On the side, Mercy noticed one of the vampires in particular with a very confused look on his face. That must be the mind-reader, not understanding why he couldn't hear anything. "What's going on?" Said vampire spoke up.

"Edward," Aro said, turning to him with a smile. "I see you've discovered the ability of our new Guard. Mercy!" Without turning to look at her, he reached a hand backwards, indicating she was to come to him. "Come meet our guests."

Mercy lifted herself off the stairs, careful to not lose focus, and took Aro's hand. "Magnificent, isn't she?" he asked, petting her hand. "She acts as a neutralizer for abilities. Or am amplifier, if she so chooses. She may one day be head of the Guard." He turned back to the clan. "Mercy, this is the Cullen's clan."

Aro began to fill her in on the last decade, when the clan had created what they thought was an Immortal Child, but had turned out to be only a half-vampire. Since then, every ten years they'd agreed to meet and make sure the child was growing, as their laws demand. It was the job of the Volturi to make sure that she hadn't outed the existence of vampires to the human world.

The interaction was less than pleasant, Mercy could tell that these vampires weren't too happy about being neutralized. They left without a fight, and Mercy was left to go back to her room.

* * *

><p>"You're not taking that from me," came a growl from Mercy's door.<p>

Her head snapped up from the bed where she'd been pretending to sleep, only to see the young vampire from before, Alec, standing in her doorway. He was glaring at her, his mouth in a thin line.

"Taking what?" she asked, genuinely confused. She had no intention of taking anything from him.

"'She may one day be head of the guard,'" he mimicked Aro's voice. "You will never be head of the Guard."

Mercy stood up off the bed, but Alec was quicker. In a flash he was across the room and in her face. "You are not powerful enough," he concluded.

She could feel the fight coming. Without breaking eye contact, she neutralized his gift and smirked. "You want a fight, pretty boy?" she growled. "No abilities, just vampire against vampire."

Alec looked offended. The stupid girl was actually challenging him for dominance? "I have something else in mind," he whispered, taking Mercy by the wrists.

Before she had a chance to react, he'd smashed his lips against hers. He was surprisingly warm for such a cold boy, and his kiss was bruising. Mercy was lost in it. It was easy enough for her to slip her hands out of his grasp and drape them around his neck, pulling him closer. She was vaguely aware that Alec was stepping her backwards, and when the back of her knees hit the bed, he went down with her. His tongue was soon poking at her lips and invading her mouth, and she found herself involuntarily moaning at the contact.

"Interesting," came a voice from the doorway.

The two Guard members snapped apart, and Mercy would've been blushing if there were any blood left in her body. Demetri was standing in the doorway, his arms crossed and a smirk on his face.

Alec headed quickly for the door, but as he passed Demetri he breathed, "Told you."

"For now," Demetri responded, still staring at Mercy.

* * *

><p><strong>Please review if you like it! Thank you! xx<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

Things were...awkward the next morning. Mercy had laid in bed all night, not even bothering to try turning on her mp3 player for the billionth time, trying to figure out what had just happened. Alec had been fighting for dominance, that much was certain. But why would he kiss her? Was it a trick to make her lose focus?

She hadn't been kissed like that in decades. Mercy reached up and put her fingers to her lips, she could almost still feel where he'd been. Suddenly, she shot up in bed. How _dare _he? He had no right to touch her!

Shuffling through the wardrobe, she pulled out the black leggings the Guard wore while fighting; they were light and tight, perfect for quick movement. She struggled to get the thin material over her rear. Then, reaching into her own bag, she pulled out her black ballet flats, the only ones she had left. She typically used them while hunting, they made her footsteps silent to even her own ears.

Mercy had no idea what time it was; the sun wasn't even up yet. She tiptoed through the halls until she reached the library. The doors creaked loudly as she pushed them open.

A figure was standing with it's back to her, a book in it's hands. Mercy froze up and started to backtrack. "I'm - "

"It's alright," Alec said harshly.

Mercy shook her head, though she knew he couldn't see her. "I didn't know anybody was in here, I'm sorry."

She heard him close the book and he turned to face her. "I know you're afraid of me, now," he said, stepping towards her.

"Isn't that what you wanted?" she snarled back.

"Yes," Alec muttered simply. "But not to this degree." He was standing right in front of her now, and he reached out to touch her face. "Aro was right, you're quite beautiful."

Mercy pulled out of his grasp. "Could you not?"

"Why, are you afraid?" His arms snaked around her lower back, pulling her closer, until his lips were only an inch from hers. "Do you fear me?"

"Terrified," she breathed, her lower lip trembling. As he leaned in, she ducked out of his grasp. "I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but you'd better knock it off," she warned, and she backtracked out of the library.

Alec, still frozen with his arms out when he'd been holding her, dropped his arms and smiled to himself. "This is fun, I wonder how far I can take it." And he followed her out of the library.

* * *

><p>"You want me to do what now?" Mercy asked, tying her hair into one long ponytail.<p>

"Shopping," Aro said simply, a large grin on his face.

She glared at him suspiciously. "You want to give me money, to buy...what? Clothes?"

"Whatever you desire!"

"...why?" Mercy circled Aro, hoping she could see some sort of deception in him.

He sighed and folded his hands together. "We would like you to see that we are very serious about you joining us, Miss Porter."

"And buying me things will convince me?" she growled. "Your intention is to bribe me? Is that how you've gathered such a following?"

"My my," Aro tutted. "Has nobody done you a kind thing in your life?" He reached out and took her by the chin, forcing her to look him in the eyes. "I'm only trying to do something nice for you, and you'd throw it back in my face?"

Mercy's face softened. "I didn't mean to be disrespectful," she muttered.

"Good!" His voice was suddenly much lighter, and took on a happier tone. "Take Alec with you, be back by morning!"

"Why do I have to take Alec with me?" Mercy sighed, her shoulders dropping.

Aro's eyes twinkled. "I can't have you just running off with the money, now, can I?" He then began to shoo her. "Go on, go. Alec is waiting for you at the front door."

Mercy headed up the hallway she'd come down only days before, and sure enough, Alec was waiting for her at the entrance. Instead of his usual Guard cloak, he wore black slacks and a dark button-up.

"Here," he said, offering her a small case.

Colored contacts. "I haven't missed these," Mercy said with another sigh. "They irritate my eyes."

"You're not the only one," Alec scoffed, habitually rubbing his left eye. "Come on, let's get this over with."

They must've circled the town two or three times, Mercy marveling at all the street vendors selling pretty things. In the end, she'd chosen some new pants, a tunic, and a few sai daggers ("ancient", the woman had said. Please, these were no older than the eighteenth century!) to carry on her person.

"Wait," Alec said as they were heading back. He grabbed her arm, nearly throwing her off balance. "That."

"What?" Mercy asked, attempting to follow where he was pointing.

"That, up there. That's the real reason Aro asked me to take you shopping." He was pointing inside one of the actual shops; inside, on the wall, was a blood-red dress, cocktail length.

She immediately began shaking her head. "No," she said. "I don't do fitted dresses."

"You do now," Alec said, leading her inside by the arm. "Aro is holding a party of sorts. Every vampire that's in good spirits with the Volturi will be invited."

"That's why he wanted you to take me shopping, I don't have any dresses." She said, more to herself than him. "And where is this party to be held? Certainly not the Throne Room."

"We do have a ballroom, you know," Alec said, clearly annoyed. "It _is _a palace, after all." He reached up and took the dress off the rack. "Take this into the dressing room and try it on."

She sighed, taking the dress. "I hate dresses," she mumbled.

* * *

><p>The next evening, Mercy sat in a chair in front of her vanity, rolling her eyes and sighing for what seemed like the billionth time that night. "Are you done?" she asked rudely to the woman behind her.<p>

"Almost, quit your bitching," Heidi snapped. "I'm trying to pin up this lion mane of yours."

She'd been tying up Mercy's curled hair into a half-updo for the last thirty minutes. Twenty bobby pins and half a bottle of hairspray later, it was finished and in place. "You look perfect," she gushed.

Mercy snuck a quick look at herself in the mirror. "Wow, I look completely different." She poked her own face, which was now covered in a thin layer of makeup.

Heidi slapped her hand. "Don't touch it, you'll ruin my work of art!"

"Thank you," the brunette said, attempting to hide her shy smile. "It looks wonderful."

"Damn right it does, you'll outshine everybody at this thing." Heidi sauntered over to the other girl's closet and pulled out a pair of glossy black chunky heels with a strap around the ankle. "Slip these on." As she bent down to help Mercy into the heel, she noticed something. "What is this?"

Mercy turned to see what Heidi was looking at, and immediately pulled her ankle from her grasp. "Have you never seen a bite mark before?" she snapped.

"Don't be stupid, of course I have," Heidi said, shrugging it off. "But why is it on your ankle? That's such a weird spot."

"That really isn't any of your business, is it?" Mercy said, heading out the door. "Let's get to this shindig, shall we?"

The two girls' heels could've been heard from anywhere in the halls, the _taps _seemed to echo off the walls. Heidi had to lead the other girl to the ballroom, since she'd never been before. Demetri and Felix were standing at the doors to open them for guests.

As they approached, Mercy could practically feel Demetri's eyes raking her bare legs.

Heidi must've noticed it too, because she leaned in and whispered, "At least he can't see you from the side right now."

It was true. While the dress rode high on her thighs, it had nothing on Mercy's ass. The fabric around her rear was stretched tight, and only flattered the muscle even more than usual. It would no doubt be one of the first things people noticed about her tonight.

"You clean up very well," Demetri said, attempting to keep his voice level as he and Felix pushed the main doors open.

Classical music was playing loudly in the grand room. It was a dome, with vaulted ceilings just like the Throne Room. Mercy had never seen so many vampires in one place, mingling with each other. A few heads turned when the two entered, but the numbers grew until even the ones dancing to the music had stopped.

"They're staring," Mercy said under her breath.

Heidi smiled, showing off her perfect white teeth. "That's because you've gone from beautiful to gorgeous tonight. Ready?"

Mercy shook her head. "No, so let's get this over with."

* * *

><p><strong>This one was a little shorter than the last two, I'm sorry! I promise I'll make up for it with the next chapter. I just started a new job, and it's really early in the mornings, which is difficult for me because I'm a night person and I don't get much done in the day! But I'll update whenever I can. Please review! xx<strong>


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